Four years ago on July 4, I celebrated my first service as the rector of St. John’s. In preparation for the day, the interim rector and I noticed the strange coincidence that my first Sunday also happened to be a year when the Fourth of July fell on a Sunday.
In the Episcopal Church, Independence Day is actually a major feast of the church. That means it has its own collect (opening prayer), with readings and a Eucharistic preface assigned to it. Interestingly enough, our prayer book assigns the preface for Trinity Sunday to be used at worship on Independence Day.
Both Father Laycock and I remarked that this is an interesting choice — to call us to the Holy Trinity as a way of focusing worship on Independence Day...
Read more at the Tribune's website here.